Using an experimental methodology, the present study investigated college students’ attitudes toward media images of female athletes. We are particularly focused on how viewers perceive media images of female athletes that have both an appearance and athleticism focus, such as those found in ESPN’s The Body Issue . An aim of our study was to assess viewers’ attitudes toward these images that are not purely objectified, thereby contributing to the objectification literature and providing empirical data relevant to theorizing on the social impact of these images. U.S. college students ( n = 563) viewed one of four types of images of the same athletes including: (a) sexualized athletes, (b) sexualized performance athletes (in which both athleticism and sexualization are present), (c) sport performance athletes (in which athletes are depicted playing their sport), or (d) non-sexualized athletes. They then rated the athletes’ competence, esteem, and sexual appeal. Overall, sexualized performance athletes were rated more positively than sexualized athletes, but less positively than sport performance athletes. These results have implications for advocacy efforts calling for more media coverage in which women are depicted as athletes rather than as sexual objects.

中文翻译：

---

性与运动性：观众对女运动员性化表现形象的态度

本研究使用实验方法调查了大学生对女运动员媒体形象的态度。我们特别关注观众如何看待兼具外观和运动能力的女运动员的媒体图像，例如在 ESPN 的 The Body Issue 中发现的那些。我们研究的一个目的是评估观众对这些并非纯粹客观化的图像的态度，从而为客观化文献做出贡献，并提供与这些图像的社会影响理论化相关的经验数据。美国大学生 (n = 563) 观看了相同运动员的四种类型图像之一，包括：(a) 性化的运动员，(b) 性化的表现运动员（同时存在运动能力和性化），(c) 运动表现运动员（其中描绘了运动员在进行他们的运动），或 (d) 非性化运动员。然后，他们对运动员的能力、自尊和性吸引力进行评分。总体而言，性表现运动员比性表现运动员的评价更积极，但不如运动表现运动员积极。这些结果对呼吁更多媒体报道的宣传工作有影响，在这些报道中，女性被描绘成运动员而不是性对象。